Drake's album ruined Raptors chances of landing DeMar DeRozan

Nairavoice | Jul 8, 2026 1h ago 59 0 2 min read

168674f0d00084def48233c914d7a3ef Drake's album ruined Raptors chances of landing DeMar DeRozan

Drake’s album ruined Raptors chances of landing DeMar DeRozan originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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After signing Kawhi Leonard, there’s a strong argument to be made that the Toronto Raptors are perhaps the best team in the Eastern Conference. I’m not willing to say that just yet, as I still believe the New York Knicks are the best team in the NBA after winning the NBA Finals, and I don’t think that should even be counted out at the moment.

However, adding Leonard was definitely a smart move by the Raptors, so I can understand why many are high on them.

The question now for Toronto is if it’s willing to add some other veteran players, which I think could happen.

One player in particular who makes a lot of sense for the Raptors to go after is DeMar DeRozan, though I think it’s important to recognize that he’s not as well liked in Toronto, and that could be for a Drake reason. However, one CBS reporter still believes it’s a possibility.

“It comes down to how much faith Toronto has in its ability to score when Leonard is on the bench. If the Raptors want to have a spare half-court shot-maker, sure, DeRozan at the minimum is good bang for their buck. But with Scottie Barnes ascending into true stardom last season, it feels likelier that Toronto just staggers him and Leonard and trusts Barnes to generate their offense when Kawhi rests. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but it’s not the cleanest fit either,” Sam Quinn wrote.

Not that Drake is making the decisions for the Raptors, but in his song “National Treasure,” he said, “When you was a part of the team we used to be plannin’ our Mexico trip in the spring. We must’ve been dealin’ in spur of the moment’ cause why did we think you could get us a ring?”

Those are pretty big words, and considering Drake’s influence in Toronto, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that this could have some level of impact, as crazy as that might sound.